Time Out
by sdcjack
Summary: Elena thought things would get back to normal after her truce with Elijah. Sometimes though, things don't work out the way you expect.  D/E-Starts out S/E
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Just some fluff. Story format changes slightly after the fighting. Reviews are love!

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After Elijah's deal, Elena thought that life would get back to normal. She and Stefan would finally have room to breathe, to enjoy life, together. And for a while, they did.

Then they started to fight.

* * *

The first was over Elena's visit to Katharine. She had wanted to understand more about the turmoil surrounding the Petrova line, the Originals, and the Curse of the Sun and the Moon. Katharine seemed the perfect resource, compelled to stay in the tomb, and she could always bribe her with blood from Damon's stash.

Stefan didn't quite see it the same way.

"She's a liar, Elena! She's the last person you want to ask about this!" Stefan shouted emphatically.

"Stefan, she has no reason to lie to me! She's helped before!" Elena tried to reason.

Stefan growled and turned away, pacing angrily.

"It's not a good idea Elena. And I can't believe you did this without me! She's dangerous!" He growled.

"She's compelled to stay in the tomb! It's the same as if the spell was still in place! And I didn't mean to leave you out, I just didn't think you'd want to come!" Elena cried, getting frustrated.

"That's not the point! You need to be kept safe! Who knows who found out Katharine is in there by now, you could have been someone's lunch!" He shouted.

"Whoah!" Elena shouted back, "I am not some child who needs babysat all hours of the day! I'm fully capable of taking care of myself!"

"Elena, that's not what I meant…" Stefan said, backpedalling.

"Yes, Stefan, it is. All I was trying to do was find out more about this whole mess without drawing any extra attention to us!" Elena was screaming at this point, angry at Stefan for treating her as an incompetent child.

Stefan plopped on the couch, wind taken from his sails by the logic of Elena's reasons.

Elena, however, was still angry.

"You know what, Stefan? I'm tired of being treated like a doll."

With that, she turned around and stormed out.

* * *

The second, third, and fourth were about her friendship with Damon.

After he came for her in Richmond they had rekindled their friendship. It was easy to be around Damon, he was teasing, relaxed, _fun_. She loved Stefan with everything she had but sometimes a girl just needed to let loose.

Stefan didn't like the fact that Elena and Damon were close. He knew how Damon felt about Elena and wasn't entirely sure about what his brother's plans were as far as those feelings were concerned. Damon was unpredictable at best, there was no telling what he might do when blinded by love.

The fights generally started with Elena mentioning something silly, or funny, or ridiculous that happened, or was said, while she was with Damon. That usually started Stefan off about how much he disliked her spending time with Damon.

That was enough to get a rip-roaring fight started.

Elena always defended Damon, arguing that he was changing, that spending time together was harmless, that they were nothing more than friends.

Stefan argued his experience with Damon, his history, everything and anything, trying to get her to see without divulging his brother's secret. Isobel had let the cat out of the bag awhile back, but he didn't think that Elena had taken that seriously.

These fights never really resolved. They left them both emotionally exhausted and stuck that the same impasse they had been at before the fight.

"I hate fighting with you, Stefan." Elena murmured from across his bedroom after their third fight on the subject. She was staring out the window, facing away from him.

"I don't like this any more than you do, Elena." Stefan sighed, moving towards her.

When he went to put his arms around her, she held out a hand to keep him away. The pang he felt resonated throughout his being and was clearly evident on his face.

"Elena..." He started.

"No, Stefan. I can't keep this up. I need a break. I need to figure out what's worth fighting for anymore." She lifted her face to his as she spoke, the pain of the words reflected in her eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, but this hurts both of us more."

He nodded, eyes full of sadness and pain. He watched as she grabbed her purse and headed out of his room.

* * *

When Elena got home she paced back and forth, the emotional exhaustion manifesting as nervous energy. After trying to be distracted by the internet, music, a book, her journal, and simply lying on her bed, she finally pulled out her phone and dialed Caroline.

Halfway through the second ring Elena hung up. If she was being honest with herself, Caroline was not who she wanted to talk to. She wanted to talk to Damon.

Damon would be able to cheer her up, get her out of her funk. So why was she so hesitant to call him?

Shaking off the strange feeling, Elena grabbed her phone off the bed and hit Damon's speed-dial.

"Hello gorgeous, what can I do for you tonight?" Damon answered suggestively, and almost immediately.

"Hey Damon, can you come get me? I'm at the house. Stefan and I got into it again and I just need a time-out."

Damon grinned into the phone, their codename for a mini-road trip, burgers and beer (possibly leading to some shots, but that was a rarity). It had stemmed from their impromptu road trip to Georgia. Now they kept it local, usually just to the next town over so they wouldn't be recognized as easily (and Elena wouldn't get caught drinking underage).

"Be there in fifteen."

Elena clicked the phone off and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt. She combed her hair and touched up her makeup, which had been messy from her unshed tears during her and Stefan's fight. She heard a knock at the door and headed downstairs, grabbing her purse off the floor.

Damon smirked and offered his arm as she opened the door—she rolled her eyes—but surprised him, and herself, by accepting it. They walked to his car, he opened the door for her and she climbed in, he shut it once he was sure she was in, and vampire-sped to the other side of the car.

"Ready for a great time out?" He asked, smirking once more.

She smiled half-heartedly and leaned her head back against the head rest, pushing her hair out of her face with her hands and closing her eyes.

Damon frowned, usually she was in a better mood for these, and sped off into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: **I'M SO SORRY.** I wanted to have this up within a week of the original posting, unfortunately life and my muse had other plans. I had a crazy first week and a half at University and it doesn't seem to be looking up. I'll do my best to keep this story (relatively) regularly updated but I'm not entirely sure where it's going at this point so you'll have to bear with me. Despite the fact that you're probably upset with me for not updating _please review.

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After arriving at the bar and ordering their burgers and beer—Damon compelling the bartender not to card Elena—Damon turned to her on the stool and studied her face intently for a few moments.

"Yes, Damon?" Elena asked finally, exasperated at his intense scrutiny.

"What's going on with you?" He asked after a moment of thought. "You aren't usually so …" He trailed off, not sure how to finish his sentence. He settled for an arm gesture that indicated her body, "Whatever this is."

Elena sighed, not wanting to deal with the backlash of her earlier decision so soon. _Oh well, better to get it out of the way. Hopefully we can still have fun…_

"Stefan and I broke up. Well, kinda. A break. I just…" It was her turn to trail off, he eyes unfocused and located on a spot above the rows of alcohol, "figure out what I want, I guess." She shrugged and turned to Damon.

"Hmm. Well I'm sure you two lovebirds will be back to singing duets in no time." Damon smirked sarcastically. The walls around him visibly rising into place as the smirk didn't reach his eyes and his tone betrayed just a touch of hurt, things that would have been invisible to someone who knew him less than Elena.

"Damon I…" Elena tried

"Don't, Elena. Okay?"

Elena leaned forward, resting her head on her hands, elbows sitting on the bar. What was she supposed to do? Damon was her friend. He was always there for her, and ever since the Miss Mystic Falls pageant and the Stefan/blood fiasco she had taken it to heart. He had saved her, quite literally, on more than one occasion. But she loved Stefan. Well, she used to love Stefan, anymore she wasn't so sure.

It was all so confusing. And the last thing she wanted was to make a mistake that would hurt either of them. Stefan had fared through the whole Katharine thing alright, but Damon's heart was still in tatters from the whole thing. She couldn't bear to be the one who did that to him, to anyone.

Elena's heart constricted painfully at the thought of hurting Damon. Elena shoved the sensation away, it was no more than she would feel about Matt, or Bonnie or Caroline, right?

Their beers were set in front of them and the bartender indicated that their burgers would be out soon. Elena tried to snap herself out of her reverie and pushed her hair out of her face.

Elena turned to Damon. "Time out? Five minutes away from real life, right?"

Damon turned to Elena. Her eyes were sad and pleading, thinly veiled with whatever this front was that she was putting up.

He smiled, the expression not reaching his eyes, and nodded slightly, offering his beer for a clink. "Yeah. Time out."

Elena drank and their burgers came out. They ate together, Elena rather ravenously.

Damon glanced over. "Eat much?" he smirked.

"Hey! Emotional drama works up an appetite! Excuse _you_." Elena replied good-naturedly.

The pair finished their burgers, verbally sparring back and forth. Once they were finished with their burgers and beer Elena looked at Damon.

"Patron? Or Jack?" She indicated the wall behind the bar, filled with shelves of various alcohols with her head.

"Hmmm. Patron." Damon said decisively, smacking his hands on the bar. The bartender noticed the motion and headed over.

"Four shots of Patron." Damon said, smirking.

"Please!" Elena added, smacking the back of her hand against Damon's shoulder. "You can be polite."

"No, I can't." Damon argued, "It ruins my image."

Elena rolled her eyes and thanked the bartender as the shots were placed on the bar. She slid two towards Damon.

"Hey! That was supposed to be three for me and one for you." He made like he was going to steal one of her shots but Elena smacked his hand away.

"Did Georgia teach you nothing? We both know I can out drink you." With that she threw back her first shot.

"For the record speed does not equal quantity." Damon added glibly and threw back his shot.

Elena shrugged. "Whatever." And threw back her second shot.

Damon rolled his eyes and threw back his second shot as well. The song playing in the background changed and Elena's eyes lit up. She waved to get the bartender's attention.

"Hey, excuse me? Can you turn it up?" She indicated overhead to mean the music. The bartender nodded and moved to the end of the bar. Elena grinned as the music got louder.

"I love this song!" She stood and started swaying back and forth to the sultry rock beat.

"Isn't this song a little…provocative for high school?" Damon smirked as he watched the entrancing way Elena's body moved to the music.

"Shut up Damon. You are not allowed to be the judge of anything moral." Elena shot back, sidling up next to him, still moving slightly to the music.

"Elena Gilbert, what are you doing?" Damon asked in mock horror.

"Trying to get my friend to ask me to dance. Since he knows how much I like to dance…" She grinned coyly, batting her lashes for added effect.

Damon stood, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her close. He leaned his head down and placed his mouth right next to Elena's ear and murmured softly,

"Elena, would you dance with me?"

His breath sent shivers down her spine and Elena tried not to betray how he made her feel.

She leaned back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, Damon, I'm not sure…" but she was cut off as Damon scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, headed towards the back corner where there was a small empty area near an old jukebox.

He danced around for a few moments with Elena thrown over his shoulder before acquiescing to her squeals, kicks, and smacks to put her down. When he did, Damon made sure to slide her down his front so that every inch of their bodies were in contact by the time her feet touched the ground.

Elena was barely breathing as she looked up into Damon's probing, ice blue gaze. Her hands were resting on his chest and his arms were around her waist, one slightly higher and the other near her lower back, holding her to him.

"Elena…" he started.

"Damon…" Elena tried.

They both stopped as they each tried to let the other finish their thought.

When neither spoke, both looked away for a moment, Elena resting her head on Damon's chest.

Damon started to move them in a slight swaying motion and the music swallowed the pair up.


End file.
